For Thembisani Mntungwa, walking across the graduation stage was a moment years in the making, but it was missing the one person who made it all possible.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (12 May 2026) – For Thembisani Mntungwa, the long road through school and university was paved by one constant: his mother’s encouraging voice.
However, his recent graduation was a bittersweet milestone; the woman who served as his pillar of strength and biggest cheerleader wasn’t there to see him conferred with the degree he worked so hard to earn.
With tears streaming down his face, Thembisani honoured his late mother on the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) stage, holding up a tribute T-shirt paying tribute to the woman he credits as the main reason he reached this achievement.
Reflecting on the passing of his mother less than two months ago, he spoke of the deep void left behind.
“I wish she could embrace this moment with me. We had imagined it and spoken about how we would celebrate. This was as much my moment as it was hers. She wasn’t just my mum, she was my friend and my biggest supporter,” Thembisani tells UKZN.
In choosing to honour her on stage, he turned grief into gratitude.
“I wanted the world to know that this achievement belongs to her, too. When I walked up on that stage, I wanted to share the moment with her. I feel she was there in spirit with me. She deserved to be there with me.”
Thembisani also opened up about how his mother made immense sacrifices to ensure that he and his three younger siblings were well cared for.
“She worked as a domestic worker and, at times, as a street vendor to make sure there was always food on the table and that we had lunch money for school. This was the deepest and most encouraging way she showed her support.”
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South Africa, We Have SO Much Good News to Share With You!She was also the one who regularly called him to check on him and motivate him to keep going – the little things that mattered the most, during the difficult moments when he wanted to give up.
Among those proudly cheering for Thembisani on his big day were his father and maternal grandmother, who attended the ceremony. With the memory of his mother well alive in his heart, Thembisani hopes to continue to make her proud as he pursues his Honours degree at UKZN.
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